Change.org
An American online petition and social-action platform.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Change.org is a US-based, for-profit online petition platform founded in 2007 by Ben Rattray. It enables individuals and organizations to publish petitions, collect public support, communicate with signers, and present demands to companies, public officials, institutions, and other decision-makers. The service is designed to convert online participation into public pressure by combining petition pages, email and social sharing, campaign storytelling, updates, and tools for addressing the people or organizations targeted by a campaign. The platform covers a broad range of issues, including human rights, criminal and economic justice, education, public health, environmental protection, animal welfare, consumer affairs, political accountability, religious freedom, and sustainable food. Campaigns range from local requests—such as changes to school policy or animal-protection decisions—to nationally and internationally visible efforts concerning elections, legislation, corporate practices, entertainment, and police accountability. The site has also hosted petitions that became prominent through traditional media and social networks, although a petition’s signature count does not itself guarantee that the targeted decision-maker will act. Change.org’s business model has included paid promotion and services intended to help campaigns reach audiences, as well as support and coaching for organizations and paid members. This distinguishes it from a nonprofit civic association: the platform operates as a commercial technology and communications service while hosting campaigns from people and groups with many different viewpoints. Its role is generally to provide infrastructure, distribution, and campaign tools rather than to endorse every petition published by users. The company expanded internationally during the early 2010s. It incorporated users from the Spanish-language petition service Actuable in 2012, opened or operated offices across multiple continents, and launched country-focused initiatives including a UK platform. Its growth was accompanied by high-profile campaigns such as requests concerning the release of Iranian-British citizen Ghoncheh Ghavami, the reinstatement of television presenter Jeremy Clarkson, changes to student-loan fees, the Zadroga Act for September 11 first responders, and justice for George Floyd. Some campaigns produced reported policy or institutional responses; others failed or had outcomes unrelated to the petition. Change.org has also faced the governance challenges common to large user-generated platforms. Critics and observers have raised questions about petition quality, duplicate or allegedly inauthentic signatures, promotional practices, harassment, defamatory claims, and the extent to which signature totals represent public opinion. The company has removed or withdrawn campaigns when it determined that they breached community standards, including a 2024 Australian petition concerning Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn and official Anna Meares. In 2021, a majority of US and Canadian employees announced support for union representation, and the company voluntarily recognized CODE-CWA. Change.org remains an active global platform for digitally organized advocacy, with influence depending on campaign organization, media attention, institutional access, and the willingness of decision-makers to respond.
History
Change.org was launched in 2007 by Ben Rattray, with founding technical and operational support from Mark Dimas, Darren Haas, and Adam Cheyer. It began as a service for creating and circulating petitions, but developed into a broader platform for online advocacy. Users could formulate demands, gather signatures, share campaigns through social networks and email, and publicize responses from the people or institutions targeted by a petition. The service expanded rapidly during the early 2010s. By February 2012 it reportedly had about 100 employees and offices on four continents. In April of that year, reporting described the platform as having ten million members and receiving roughly 500 new petitions per day. Change.org also pursued international growth. Its relationship with the Spanish-language service Actuable led to a 2012 migration of Actuable users, and the company announced a UK-specific platform in 2012, placing it alongside established British campaigning organizations such as 38 Degrees. Growth also brought controversy and operational challenges. In 2011, Change.org said it had been subjected to a distributed denial-of-service attack after publishing a petition concerning Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. In 2012, Arizona State University temporarily blocked access to the site after a student petition criticizing tuition increases; the university characterized the website as spam and said the measure was intended to preserve network resources, but the block was lifted the next day. The episode illustrated the tension between petition platforms as civic tools and institutions’ concerns about network use and campaign volume. In 2013, Change.org announced a $15 million investment round led by Omidyar Network. It said at the time that it employed 170 people across 18 countries. The company also described product changes intended to make campaigns more directly actionable, including public responses by petition recipients and pages that would allow decision-makers to see campaigns directed at them. The platform’s visibility has largely been driven by campaigns that attracted unusually large audiences or generated a reported institutional response. Examples include a Massachusetts schoolchildren’s petition that preceded environmental additions to the promotional website for The Lorax; a student-loan campaign followed by a change in Sallie Mae’s forbearance-fee policy; a campaign concerning domestic-violence education in Australian schools; and a petition supporting health benefits for September 11 first responders before Congress renewed the relevant legislation. Other campaigns drew millions of signatures without achieving their stated objective, including a 2016 effort urging presidential electors to deny Donald Trump the presidency and a petition opposing proposed European copyright rules. Change.org has also hosted campaigns around criminal justice, policing, animal welfare, entertainment, and representation in advertising. The 2020 Justice for George Floyd petition became the platform’s most-signed campaign according to the cited reference material. Large campaigns can help organizers gain media attention and demonstrate visible support, but signature totals may be disputed or may not translate into legal or political authority. The platform has consequently been criticized or scrutinized over duplicate or allegedly false names, campaign quality, promotional practices, and the moderation of abusive or misleading content. In 2021, Change.org employees in the United States and Canada announced that a majority had signed authorization cards supporting representation by CODE-CWA. Change.org voluntarily recognized the union. In 2024, the company removed an Australian petition that made allegations about Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn and chef de mission Anna Meares. The Australian Olympic Committee described the petition as defamatory and misleading, while Change.org’s action reflected its rules concerning harassment and false information. These events show the continuing balance the company must maintain between open participation and platform governance. Change.org remains an active international petition service. Its present scope combines user-generated petition hosting with tools for supporter communication, campaign distribution, decision-maker engagement, and assistance for organizations. The company’s public identity is therefore both civic and commercial: it provides a widely used mechanism for collective expression while operating as a for-profit digital platform with responsibility for moderation, privacy, security, and the credibility of campaigns hosted on its service.
- 2021
CODE-CWA union voluntarily recognized
[1]The company recognized union representation after a majority of US and Canadian workers signed authorization cards.
- 2013
Growth financing announced
[1]Change.org announced a $15 million investment round led by Omidyar Network and international staffing growth.
- 2012
Actuable integration completed
[1]Users of the Spanish-language service Actuable voluntarily moved onto Change.org.
- 2012
Ten-million-member milestone reported
[1]Media reports described the platform as having reached ten million members and creating about 500 petitions daily.
- 2011
Reported cyberattack after Ai Weiwei petition
[1]Change.org said it experienced a distributed denial-of-service attack connected to a petition concerning Ai Weiwei.
- 2007
Platform launched
[1]Ben Rattray launched Change.org with support from early technical and operational collaborators.
Products and positioning
A global digital infrastructure and communications platform for public-interest campaigns and online petitions.
Digital advocacy · 2007
Petition platform
The core service lets users create petitions, define a request, identify a target, collect signatures, publish campaign narratives, and distribute updates. Petitions can address public authorities, businesses, schools, cultural organizations, and other decision-makers. The platform provides visibility and communication infrastructure, but the presence of a petition does not mean Change.org endorses its claims or that the target must respond.
Advocacy services
Campaign support and coaching
Change.org provides tools and assistance intended to help organizations and paid users develop campaigns, reach supporters, communicate progress, and bring demands to decision-makers. These services extend the platform beyond simple signature collection into structured digital campaigning.
Controversies
2024
Removal of petition targeting Australian Olympic figures
A petition making allegations about Rachael Gunn and Anna Meares was withdrawn after the Australian Olympic Committee objected that it was defamatory and harassing. The incident highlighted moderation and user-safety issues on a platform built around open petition creation.
2011
Reported denial-of-service attack
Change.org said an attack on its infrastructure followed publication of a petition concerning Ai Weiwei. The allegation was reported as a security incident rather than an established finding about the attackers’ identity.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Petition concerning Rachael Gunn and Anna Meares
Australia
A petition questioned the Olympic selection process involving breakdancer Rachael Gunn and chef de mission Anna Meares. The Australian Olympic Committee condemned it as defamatory and misleading, and Change.org withdrew it on grounds related to harassment and false information.
Outcome. Removed by platform
- 2020Justice for George Floyd
United States · Global
Created after George Floyd was killed by police, the petition became the platform’s most-signed campaign according to the cited account, with more than 19 million signatures. It formed part of the wider public mobilization and protests concerning racial justice and policing.
Outcome. Major public-awareness campaign; specific petition outcome varied by demand
- 2016Faithless electors petition
United States
A campaign launched after the 2016 presidential election urged electors in states won by Donald Trump to vote instead for Hillary Clinton. It became the platform’s most-signed petition at the time, ultimately reaching about 4.9 million signatures, but did not prevent Trump from receiving the electoral majority.
Outcome. Unsuccessful
- 2015Reinstate Jeremy Clarkson
United Kingdom
A petition by Paul Staines urged the BBC to reinstate Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson after his suspension following an altercation involving a producer. It exceeded one million signatures, but the BBC ultimately said Clarkson’s contract would not be renewed.
Outcome. Unsuccessful; BBC ended the presenter’s contract
- 2015Domestic-violence education in Australian schools
Australia
A petition started by a 14-year-old campaigner sought broader domestic-violence prevention education in the Australian curriculum. It received more than 100,000 supporters, and Minister Pru Goward announced that school districts would introduce related education.
Outcome. Reported curriculum response
- 2015Zadroga Act reauthorization
United States
John Feal organized a petition supporting continued health and compensation programs for September 11 first responders. It attracted nearly 187,000 signatures before Congress reauthorized the relevant legislation.
Outcome. Legislation reauthorized
- 2012The Lorax Petition Project
United States
A fourth-grade class in Brookline, Massachusetts asked Universal Studios to present a stronger environmental message in promotional material for The Lorax. The petition reportedly gathered more than 57,000 signatures, after which the studio updated its website with an environmental statement based on the students’ request.
Outcome. Reported website update
- 2012Sallie Mae forbearance-fee petition
United States
Stef Gray presented a petition concerning private student-loan forbearance fees after it gathered roughly 77,000 signatures. Sallie Mae changed its fee policy on the same day as the reported presentation.
Outcome. Reported policy change
Brand decisions
2024
Remove petition violating community standardsOtherBackground
An Australian petition concerning Olympic participants was criticized by the Australian Olympic Committee as defamatory and misleading.
Action taken
Change.org withdrew the petition under policies concerning harassment and false information.
Aftermath
The removal demonstrated the platform’s willingness to restrict campaigns when open participation conflicts with safety and content-governance rules.
2013
Expand decision-maker and organizational toolsStrategyBackground
The company aimed to make petitions more actionable after they reached their targets.
Action taken
Change.org announced public responses from petition recipients and decision-maker pages aggregating petitions directed at them.
Aftermath
The proposed features positioned the service as an ongoing advocacy and stakeholder-communication platform rather than only a signature counter.
2012
Integrate Actuable usersM&ABackground
Change.org sought to expand its Spanish-language presence through a relationship with Actuable.
Action taken
The voluntary union of Actuable users with Change.org was approved and completed.
Aftermath
The integration expanded Change.org’s international user base and Spanish-language reach.
Recent events
- 2021
Workers announce union recognition by Change.org[1]
Leadership change
Employees in the United States and Canada announced majority support for CODE-CWA representation, which the company voluntarily recognized.
- 2013
Change.org raises a $15 million investment round[1]
Other
The company announced a financing round led by Omidyar Network and said it had expanded to 170 employees in 18 countries.
- 2013
Change.org introduces more tools for petition recipients[1]
Product launch
Planned features included public responses from petition recipients and pages where decision-makers could view petitions directed at them.
- 2012
Actuable users join the Change.org platform[1]
M&A
A proposed integration with the Spanish-language petition service Actuable was completed through the voluntary migration of its users.
- 2012
Change.org reaches ten million members[1]
Other
Contemporary reporting described rapid membership growth and hundreds of new petitions being created each day.
- 2011
Change.org reports a distributed denial-of-service attack linked to an Ai Weiwei petition[1]
Other
The company said its service was targeted after hosting a petition calling on Chinese authorities to release artist Ai Weiwei.
Sources3 sources
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